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Mechanics of cranial sutures during simulated cyclic loading
1Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, 7701 Rondebosch, South Africa. sandra_jas@hotmail.com
Journal of Biomechanics
|June 19, 2012
Summary
Cranial sutures
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Computational Biology
- Skeletal Biology
Background:
- Cranial sutures, fibrous joints in the skull, are known to reduce bone strain during chewing.
- Previous studies used the finite element (FE) method to analyze suture behavior under static loading, assuming linear elastic properties.
- The importance of suture morphology and material properties in skull mechanics is increasingly recognized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of viscoelastic properties on cranial suture behavior.
- To compare the effects of different suture morphologies (butt-ended, interdigitated) and frequencies on stress, strain, and strain energy.
- To determine the relevance of viscoelasticity in finite element (FE) analyses of the skull under various physiological loading conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed three idealized bone-suture models with varying complexity (butt-ended, moderate interdigitated, complex interdigitated).
- Applied viscoelastic properties derived from pig nasofrontal suture experimental data to the models.
- Performed finite element (FE) analyses at three frequencies (1s, 10s, 100s) and compared results to static, linear elastic analyses.
Main Results:
- Strain energy and strain within the suture decreased with increasing suture complexity across all models.
- Strain magnitude decreased with increasing frequency for each suture model.
- Viscous effects were less pronounced at higher frequencies, with elastic and 1s frequency analyses yielding similar strain magnitudes.
Conclusions:
- Viscoelastic properties may not be essential for FE skull analyses simulating high-frequency activities like mastication.
- Viscoelasticity appears more relevant for understanding lower-frequency physiological processes affecting the skull.
- Suture complexity significantly influences strain distribution, with more complex sutures experiencing less strain.
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